Strange Pilgrims

In Barcelona, an aging Brazilian prostitute trains her dog to weep at the grave she has chosen for herself. In Vienna, a woman parlays her gift for seeing the future into a fortunetelling position with a wealthy family. In Geneva, an ambulance driver and his wife take in the lonely, apparently dying ex-President of a Caribbean country, only to discover that his political ambition is very much intact. In these twelve masterful short stories about the lives of Latin Americans in Europe, García Márquez conveys the peculiar amalgam of melancholy, tenacity, sorrow, and aspiration that is the émigré experience. Bon voyage, Mr. President — The saint — Sleeping beauty and the Airplane — I sell my dreams — I only came to use the phone — The ghosts of August — Maria dos Prazeres — Seventeen poisoned Englishmen — Tramontana — Miss Forbes’s summer of happiness — Light is like water — The trail of your blood in the snow